Identity Theft: Moral Antecedents, Moral Anger, and Impression Management

Abstract

In two experiments (N = 162; N = 192) participants' reactions to identity theft are examined. Identity theft is defined as a situation in which a person intentionally appropriates distinctive characteristics of another person's identity. Identity theft represents a moral violation against an individual's claim to display a public identity. Participants reported greater negative reactions when imagining another person appropriating many, but not one, self-characteristics. Moral appraisals of the theft (i.e., illegitimacy, intention to harm) mediated the relationship between the increase in number of self-characteristics copied and anger expressed by participants (Experiment 1). When the thief acknowledged the theft, anger was attenuated. The perception that the harm was not intentional and the perceived honesty of the copier mediated the relationship between the thief acknowledging the theft and participants' anger (Experiment 2). The implications of the present findings for past identity theft research and impression management is discussed.